Tying the Tangled Knot
by Clarra-Night
Summary: Thor and Jane's wedding ceremony and wedding reception in Asgard. Of course, Loki is there. Very AU, possibly a little bit stupid. I hope the reader laughs at it in a good way.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: The first time I posted this first chapter (about fifteen seconds ago), it was considerably shorter - some extra sections are added onto the end.**

 **I'm currently taking a break from my multi-chapter fic _What if?_ but it is by no means abandoned. My warmest thanks to those people who read it and are waiting for the next chapter! xx**

 **This is completely AU, completely silly and just for fun, because wedding receptions are supposed to be fun :) I'm n** **ot bothering with details like they all know Thor will outlive Jane by a large margin, people who are dead in canon are alive here, the proper order of events within a real wedding ceremony and wedding reception (not that this is a classic Midgardian wedding anyway), etc.**

 **Enjoy and review :)**

 **(Reviewing optional. Enjoyment also optional but more important)**

* * *

Thor was a warrior. Thus, he was much accustomed to feigning full vigilance with four hours of fitful sleep the previous night before having risen with the sun.

Last night, he had stared blankly at the high ceiling above him in his darkened bedchambers, watching the occasional shadow of a cloud eclipse one of the moons and listening to the nightly sounds of patrolling watchmen and warbling birds.

Thor had been like so for four hours. Of all nights, it had to be last night he realised how the air felt too still and the mattress beneath him so uncomfortably soft that he sank until it hugged his limbs and felt like bindings.

But that was last night. He was wholly alert today.

"Thor, the Treasurer's daughters are the flower girls. You just told that courier to deliver the bowls of petals to the Master of the Guard's son, who is your ring-bearer."

Thor paused. "But Dvalin and Borghild will correct that, won't they?"

Loki quirked his lips to one side. "Everyone in this realm is under the impression your brain is adequately installed into your skull," he explained. "So the eldest prince's word will override those of your wedding planners."

Thor ignored the jibe. At least it had been only the first instruction Thor had given today. He would have Loki, Sif or Frigga glued to his side for the rest of the day until the ceremony. "In that case… can you please fix this right now, Brother?"

One corner of Loki's mouth twitched upward. "What would you do without me?" He vanished around the corner.

Thor drank in the early sunlight from the stone steps of the front hall. The sky was its typical fair blue, dome-like self over the glinting city, but to him it also seemed brighter, clearer. And higher, like he would have to fly further with Mjolnir just to brush it with his fingertips. Higher, to accommodate the feeling that brilliant golden light was radiating from Thor as the fact stood that he would wed Jane that evening. He smiled at the sun.

"I trust you've restrained yourself from giving any more directions to your workers while I was gone?"

Loki stood behind him in the shade on a higher step, his nose and the toes of his boots tipped with sunshine. Nearly everyone Thor had encountered so far that afternoon – their mother, the servants, even the Warriors Three – was already outfitted for the ceremony beginning in a few hours. Only Loki, his father and himself still wore their timeworn leather.

"No orders have been given. Nothing should go amiss on my part from now on." Thor replied. Loki raised an eyebrow, his lips parting to supply a satirical remark. Probably something similar to _Thor, 'from now on' implies a very long time –_

"Shut up, Loki." Thor intercepted. Loki chuckled.

"But I do owe you some credit, Brother." Thor stated. "How in Hel's name did you get our friends to ready their garb so promptly? Volstagg knows he is not allowed to eat anything once his clothes are donned." The sight of Volstagg in his formal cloak with a combed beard was still mentally lingering.

Loki shrugged. "First, I asked them politely. They said they still had three hours to bathe and dress, and then continued their usual doings. Then I told them it was part of their roles as your groomsmen and closest companions to have themselves prepared early – "

Thor smiled.

" – to which they responded by still ignoring me." Loki continued. "So then I told Jane." He shrugged again, like the last sentence was explanation enough.

Thor winced on Jane's behalf. Even with all of Asgard's royal helpers, Thor had never seen Jane hampered with so many prints that were not about the Earth's constellations. At first, she had tried insisting on a modest, small-scale ceremony and reception. But there was the fact that the nuptials involving Asgard's eldest prince would entail thousands of mandatory guests, from Asgard and other realms. He longed for the time she could pore over papers with her thirsty curiosity instead of lethargy.

"Our friends submitted for her?" Thor hoped Darcy Lewis was also fulfilling her responsibilities as Jane's Maid of Honour well enough. He hoped she had not brought her Taser from Midgard.

"After glimpsing her expression when she spotted Fandral slinking over to one of her bridesmaids."

Thor suppressed a laugh, starting to ascend the stairs. "I should go to her and see if I can help – "

Loki clamped a slender hand on Thor's shoulder and tutted. "The future princess is dressing. You may no longer see the bride before the ceremony."

"That is a Midgardian superstition to ward off ill fortune – "

"And Jane is a Midgardian who attracts ill fortune like bloody meat attracts bilgesnipes, so leave her with Darcy."

"You just compare my betrothed to – "

"So let's go get _your_ marriage attire sorted instead!" Loki beamed, grasping Thor's arm and piloting him inside.

They passed Sif as they went. The skirt of her dress floated around her feet dreamily in a very non-Sif-like manner, glowing with the hues of the ocean.

"Do you not think Thor can walk himself through his own home, Loki?" She tossed the rhetorical question over her shoulder as they crossed.

"And run the risk of him trampling off to see his bride-to-be?"

Sif spun on her heel to face them, giving Thor a firm stare. Thor doubted she genuinely cared about the trivial human superstition. More likely Frigga had personally asked her to help ensure everything went according to the wedding plans; Sif would never let their queen down. "So the blame is on you if he does." She said to Loki, turning again and continuing on her way.

"The time Sif backs up my actions is the date you are to be married." Loki mused as he towed Thor. "Two impossibilities in one day."

Thor reached over to clip the back of Loki's head with his free arm.

* * *

"You really _should_ change back into your formal ones."

Thor huffed forcefully, trying to exhale his annoyance. Loki continued to pace the length of the bedchamber floor in his polished black shoes, slowly weaving around ornate furniture and the clusters of Thor's possessions. In the bronze-framed mirror that nearly touched the vaulted ceiling, Thor saw Loki looking up at him every few steps to smirk at Thor's trepidation.

"Really, it's only for a quick round of wedding vows and then a really lengthy banquet." Loki added behind him. "Which is now fast approaching, so you'd better hurry up and put on those clothes before Mother knocks and tells me to get you to hurry up."

Reflected in the mirror, the sky outside the high windows was curtained with pale indigo. Soon, the first stars would accompany the pallid moons. Thor's reflection faced the lavish garments that were in a rejected pile at the edge of his bed.

"Then make haste and use your magic tricks to make the ridiculous garb more comfortable, Brother."

"I already told you, I am not catering my magic 'tricks' to your intolerance of ceremonial attire. You should have acknowledged earlier what your wedding day would necessitate."

"The only reason why I'm allowing you in my chambers now is because you could possibly make them feel less like I am being embraced by an elderly bilgesnipe." Thor ran a hand over the sleeve of his normal tunic that he now wore. The fabric was smooth like a prince's garments should be, and not clinging nor hanging in annoying folds.

"I'm offended. I thought you invited me here for my fashion know-how."

"You wear nothing but black and green," Thor growled. "I can conquer a Jotun army, but not bear these things for one entire evening. How have you endured wearing yours for this long? Yours are of the same abysmal material as mine."

Loki raised his eyes to the ceiling and tilted his head, as though reflecting deeply. "I'm tougher than you," he concluded.

Thor grunted. "When it comes to wearing ludicrous clothing, then. I'd enjoy watching you take on a Frost Giant army, with your little knives and magic tricks."

"Which is not as vital as wearing ludicrous clothing this evening. We'll be expected in the courtyard in an hour, and you should still practice your vows and your speech once more."

From his chamber windows, an enthusiastic hum of the seating guests drifted through, making the air tingle. Thor huffed again. "But they are so uncomfortable. I would rather wear Sif's breastplate."

"Now you're just being dramatic. You'll be more than merely uncomfortable if Mother sees you wearing your normal tunic to this occasion. Or if Sif saw you wearing her breastplate." Loki tilted his head at him. "A few people might be uncomfortable if they saw you wearing Sif's breastplate."

Thor turned to take a swing at him, but Loki took a generous step backwards and said, "Perhaps I'll just check on the bride instead."

* * *

Jane had been quartered in the lush guest chambers at the end of the hallway some staircases away from Thor's.

Loki wove around the currents of servants flowing to and from the multiple doors lining the corridor. Besides the customary bow of their heads in his rough direction, they disregarded him as he passed, not breaking stride in whatever task they had been assigned to help Jane's bridal party. Having no other human women she wanted to have as her bridesmaids besides Darcy Lewis, Jane had been given a list of Asgardian noblewomen to select from. Thor told Loki she had ended up taking Loki's suggestion of closing her eyes and pointing at the list at random.

He reached the gleaming double doors at the end of the hall, tapping his knuckles on their glossy surface and hearing it echo inside. He heard Darcy and Jane's voices interweaving, before Jane's voice rose. "Who is it?"

"Jane? It's Erik." Loki only bothered with a half-hearted impersonation of Selvig, but was still answered with a hurried, "Come in!"

She would be glad enough to see the man who was supposed to walk her down the aisle. Or she would have been. Loki was greeted with the sight of Jane sheathed in lustrous white while Darcy was rushing around behind her to find the bouquet.

Jane's shoulders sagged once she saw who it was.

"I wanted to ask if you needed any help."

"Get out!" She snapped.

"Okay." He shut the door again.

* * *

Thor let out a deep breath, already feeling like his ceremonial uniform had been abrading the same places on his skin for hours. He restlessly readjusted his collar for the seventh time. When he stepped out of his bedchamber doors, Loki was leaning against the opposite wall, waiting. He was similarly arrayed in blood red and a black so vibrant that the red almost shone.

"How was Jane?" Thor asked.

"Cooler than the autumnal breeze." Loki chirped. He fell into step beside Thor as Thor began making his way through the lamp-lit palace to the largest courtyard. Thor had not yet seen the final decorations, which Frigga, Dvalin and Borghild had been orchestrating. He had attended numerous extravagant events before, but he doubted few would be so lavishly adorned as the one that evening. Even the guards they passed, stationed along the halls and stair landings, were sporting a more intricate uniform, albeit the same flat expressions.

"You're last hour of freedom is nearly up, my friend!"

Fandral strolled up from behind them, patting Thor's back and feigning hanging his head in despair.

"How are you faring, Thor? Are your battle-hardened nerves giving way?"

Thor chuckled. "I could not be more pleased. As for my nerves, they will likely fare better than you when the Chiefs of Celebrations find you're not waiting at the court's main entrance with your bridesmaid partner right now."

"Er, yes," Fandral nodded sheepishly. "I _was_ waiting with her there, but then she remembered me from the Old War revels last year."

"Fandral."

"Actually, to be more descriptive, she remembered the other maiden I was with that evening."

"Just go." Thor jostled his friend ahead of them down the corridor.

"They're expecting you there soon too, Thor." Fandral grinned. He turned to raise his eyebrows at Loki. "Good heavens, Loki, he was placed in your supposedly capable hands, so make haste."

"My brother will get there in time," Loki said. "But he just wants to practice his speech with me in private."

Thor had mentioned no such thing, but Loki looked so convinced that Fandral just replied, "I hope you can hold your own against two aggravated wedding planners" before continuing to the courtyard.

They had stopped walking. Thor turned to Loki and chided, "You really should stop coming up with excuses to get rid of our friends, Brother. You know I need no practice to speak publicly with confidence."

Loki's eyes widened innocently. "Wedding jitters can touch even the mighty Thor, you know. And it's not your confidence I would fret about."

"My feelings for Jane are such that I will speak with even greater conviction, not fumble like an old fool."

"Well, if you won't rehearse it now, at least tell me you will have it with you in the form of palm cards during your reception."

"It is true my speech is not rooted in memory, Brother, but I have no need of notes. I can articulate from the heart when I must."

Loki's eyebrows were raised for what Thor thought must be the dozenth time that day. "Articulate it on the spot. You. I know I'm at your side a vast majority of the time, but I'd _swear_ people are referring to _me_ when they say 'Silvertongue'."

Thor merely chuckled. "If it appeases you, I will take my palm cards, but I assure you, they will be of no great need."

Loki pursed his lips slightly, but otherwise did not press the matter. "Very well. Then let's get you to the ceremony."

"Lead the way."


	2. Chapter 2

As he waited out of view by the courtyard's main doorway, Thor realised the tiny lights sailing the slow breeze outside were actually miniscule candles. He had thought they were fireflies, but their movements were too relaxed and evenly spaced to not be part of Dvalin and Borghild's decorations.

He was glad, however, to still see beneath the adornments one of the places he had played in during childhood. The grass was still the same fresh green counterpane, despite the thousands of unfamiliar feet that trod upon it. A winding path of tiny, springy blossoms with pearl-like petals was another new addition that formed the aisle. Thor had seen his mother strolling the lawns earlier that day, her palms lit with magic, but his guesses as to what she was doing had come nowhere close.

The air had cooled considerably since Thor had stood on the steps of the front hall that morning, brushing over his skin like fresh silk. Through the half-opened doors, he saw first stars beginning to show against the rose-and-lavender sky. Maybe other worlds were assembling to watch, too.

It looked like a large orchestra had been fragmented and scattered over the square. Thor spotted the sheen of burnished musical instruments dotted on low balconies, beneath trees, closer to the altar. The only part of the ceremony's embellishments that appealed less to Thor was the aisle. The sheer number of invitees demanded a long path for Jane that meandered among the guests' spaces so that all could view their new princess. It meant he would actually be one of the last to see her as he waited at the altar after his procession. This did not seem fair. She would be his. They were each other's. Surely that meant they should see the other before anyone else.

"Nervous, Thor?"

Thor glanced to his side. Volstagg's grin gleamed against his coppery beard and groomsmen clothes.

"Friend, I've faced hundreds of seasoned warriors from all over Yggdrasil without my heart missing a beat. Do you think me nervous now?" Thor smiled back. The Warriors Three chuckled.

"Is that why you've Mjolnir hidden here now?" Hogun supplied with a slight smirk, nodding to the weapon set behind Thor's feet. "You think you might need to fight your way out of this ceremony at some point?" Fandral snorted.

"Leave him alone, you three," Sif was standing on Thor's other side, her hip jutted out casually. Darcy and several other maids dressed in different shades of blue waited with her.

"Thank you, Lady Sif," Thor said.

"Because he _is_ nervous." Sif finished. Fandral and Volstagg barked with more laughter, while Hogun grinned more widely. Thor sighed.

"Meh, you'd be a bad groom if you weren't tense about the love of your life, Thor," Darcy piped. "Especially considering how fierce Jane's been getting with all her own nerves. I can't believe she'll basically be the first Asgardian princess that's a human."

"A fine one she'll make," Volstagg announced "since Asgard's royal family must watch over all of Yggdrasil, and she can never tear her eyes away from the skies for long."

"You cannot hold your bride-to-be's attention for more than a few hours, Thor? Is that why your nerves are so frayed?" Fandral snickered.

"But y'know, I think this whole galactic wedding is really great," Darcy chimed again. "It's getting us all together like we're one big family and we're getting to know each other. I mean, who on Earth could have known Thor had a gal pal like Sif? Or a kickass mum like Frigga? Or talked to someone like Fandral?"

Fandral whipped his head around to stare at her. "Meaning?"

Volstagg guffawed.

Darcy and Thor's groomsmen filled the waiting time before their procession with their chatter, alleviating the need for Thor to join in. He was glad of that today. He suddenly thought of who had been even less talkative while they waited.

"You've been awfully silent here, Brother," Thor remarked.

"I'm busy plotting my elaborate scheme to ruin the wedding." Loki shrugged without looking at him.

"Oh, of course." Thor nodded. "That reminds me – "

Loki glanced at him, amusement quirking his lips.

" – I meant to ask you earlier… Do you have your speech ready?"

"Of course. What kind of Best Man do you think I am?"

"You're Loki." Thor answered the rhetoric. He took Loki's arm and drew him a little away from the rest of their company. "I'm assuming you've memorised it. Deliver it to me now, while we have time alone before the reception."

"Definitely not," Loki said. "I want it to be a surprise for you." Loki made to step around Thor.

Thor grasped Loki's shoulder, bringing him to a halt. His apprehension crept higher. "So does it involve anything potentially embarra – "

Loki's wolf laugh cut him off. A bridesmaid in cerulean blue satin peered over at him. "Thor, if you agonise over my mortifying you or Jane on your special day, you needn't fear – "

Thor slackened his grip on Loki's shoulder.

" – A little healthy embarrassment from the speeches is _expected_ , especially from the Best Man, so of course I incorporated some – "

With that, Thor steered Loki even further away from the others by the side of Loki's neck so roughly he almost tipped him over.

"Loki – "

"Calm yourself, Thor, I was only jesting!" Loki tried to move around him again, but Thor held him in place.

"Promise – "

"I swear on pain of my own pitiful death that you will not regret my speech reaching living ears."

Thor eyed him severely.

"Do you honestly expect me to foul your mood on your big day?" Loki asked innocently. Thor opened his mouth to retort.

Loki added before Thor could speak, "I have no irresistible desire to humiliate you in front of thousands today, Brother. I know you can manage that in your own time."

Thor shoved him lightly back to the rest of the waiting bridal party. "Nor Jane."

"Nor Jane."

"On pain of your own pitiful death."

"But that promise does not include you or she embarrassing yourselves without my input."

"On pain of your own pitiful death, Loki."

"Thor, sometimes I think you all just want excuses to punish me excessively."

* * *

Outside, nestling atop the buzz of a thousand guests, the orchestra had begun playing.

"The bridesmaids and groomsmen, please!"

Borghild's whisper cut through a joke Fandral was making at Volstagg's expense. There was the swish of blue skirts and soft tapping of shined shoes as two lines were formed. Thor caught Fandral's wink before the wedding planner prodded his friend to face the front with her elegant index finger.

"With the music's the next crescendo," she instructed them.

It sounded a few seconds later. Once the procession of black and blue had skimmed onto the flowery aisle, Borghild and Dvalin began ushering the rest of the wedding party into place, except for Loki and himself. Two young girls beamed up at Thor, each bearing a carved dish of sweet-smelling violet petals.

"There is still a little time before you and your Best Man must proceed."

The other Chief of Celebrations, Dvalin, was suddenly standing at Thor's elbow. Every time Thor noticed the two Chiefs, poring over obscure lists or overseeing the design of some wedding decoration, Thor always thought how they were the most refined-looking pair of Asgardians he had ever seen. Dvalin's fingernails were probably more carefully cut than Thor's tailored wedding tunic.

"Thank you, Dvalin, " Thor answered. Dvalin smiled serenely before gliding away. Thor drew in a deep breath, trying to be as silent as possible as he let it out.

"I thought you said you weren't nervous, Brother."

Loki had been watching the other members of the wedding procession get into position, an almost bored look on his face. Thor may have been imagining it, but, aside from Thor's interrogation about Loki's speech, Loki seemed to be getting less and less chatty as the evening flowed on.

"And like I did say, I am truly not nervous." Thor did not know why he ever tried lying to Loki – his little brother finally turned to look at him, not even bothering to raise an eyebrow.

"Relax, Thor. You're comfortable with being the centre of public attention, all of your guests adore you, and all you have to do is repeat after the Allfather for a few sentences. You've slain monsters, so you can marry the love of your long life." Loki patted his shoulder. The motion emphasised the constant abrasiveness of Thor's tunic, but he did not mind.

"You're the mighty Thor."

Thor took another deep breath of the cool twilight air, but his nerves were melting down until they only bubbled in the background, barely noticeable. He clasped the back of Loki's neck, smiling gratefully. "Thank you."

Loki paused, before opening his mouth to reply.

"Do _not_ tell me to give you a kiss," Thor warned. Loki laughed as he leaned away, dousing the rest of Thor's anxieties for a moment.

Thor grinned. "I'm taken now, remember? I will marry the love of my long life in mere minutes."

"Ah, of course." Loki's shoulder's drooped in mock resignation, eyes cast to the vaulted ceiling. "I should have seen this heartbreak coming from leagues away. Woe is I." Thor snorted.

"Anyway," Thor said. He felt the sudden need to tell Loki, reaffirm it in his little brother's mind just before he was tied to Jane with a golden ring. Loki looked at him. He seemed to already know Thor was about to say something more solemn. He waited.

 _Anyway, you are tied to me in a way that no one else can be. You always have been. You're my brother. Not even Jane can replace that._

Thor could only say, "If I can find someone to tie the knot with, then so can you." He cringed inwardly.

What Loki gave him was not quite a smile. Only perhaps once or twice before could Thor remember his younger brother looking so trusting. In those instances, Thor was quite sure it had been he whom Loki had looked to. He felt a strange ache.

Thor knew Loki had never welcomed the possibility of romance for himself. But Loki replied, "Thank you, Thor. I am nothing but happy for you and Jane."

Thor sighed inwardly. Then he buried the strange ache beneath the day's joy – there was no need for sorrow now. His grin returned. "You will recall that _you_ are supposed to be rallying _me_ , not the other way around."

"True. You don't need me though."

Thor looked at him in surprise.

 _I always do_

Loki smiled a little. "I meant you're ready now, anyway."

"Time to get married?"

"Time to get you married."

Thor's nerves were all but entirely gone now. He held out his arms wide like he was to embrace the world. "So how do I look? Like a king? A warrior? A husband?"

Loki cocked his head to the side and studied Thor for a second. "Like a fool."

Thor lowered his arms. The music had nearly reached the lilt that would signal Loki to begin walking the starlit aisle. "Perfect."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hope you don't mind it so far... If you didn't, I hope you still won't by the end of this chapter. I cringed and backspaced quite a bit while writing it, but I'm hoping that's just because of natural self-criticism when creating something. Still had fun though.**

 **RoseRed, thank you for your** **encouragement! Very glad you like it :)**

* * *

"I've had next to zero human experience with weddings, Thor, but I get the feeling this reception is pretty… grandiose."

Jane's honey-brown eyes were huge as she drank in the vast ballroom that was filling with the orchestra's bright music. Over a dozen long banquet tables lined the glossy floors, and each one was lined with feasting guests. Everyone was bubbling with chatter after the tranquil formality of the ceremony, like a dam had cracked open. Even the crystal chalices dotting the tables seemed to glitter with more spirit than usual.

He was seated at a high table at the front of the open chamber, close by Jane's side and their bridesmaids and groomsmen around them. It made Thor think of the tiered shape of Asgard's palace. The night sky poured its lights between the marble pillars and through the wisps of iridescent curtains.

This was a somewhat elevated – and much more sophisticated – version of the countless banquets and balls his family had hosted before. But Thor supposed it must be infinitely more extravagant than many average Earth parties. Jane was engrossed by what she saw on ground level, rather than the multihued layers of stars just beyond the chamber's reach.

"Well, Volstagg seems to like it," Thor replied. Jane snorted. On the high table or not, the red-bearded man could be seen and heard by everyone. Volstagg was nearly bursting with joy at the food before them. The platters were heaped in a way that was both mountainous and graceful, full of woven loaves of bread, cheeses, jams, meats, little savoury cakes and candied fruit. The bottles of wine and ale had been uniformly placed along the table when the banquet had started. They seemed to have crept closer and closer across the white tablecloth to where the Warriors Three were seated.

Jane was now watching a clutch of women hurl their wineglasses to the ground, shouting for another round of drinks. "So since I'm technically a princess now, I don't have to clean any of this up, do I?"

Thor stared at her. He said seriously, "Jane, as royalty, it's part of your duty to show Asgard you are unafraid to, as people of Earth say, 'get your hands dirty'…"

Jane balked. "Thor, I wasn't saying I would be – "

He laughed. "Do not worry, Jane, we have staff for this."

She smacked his arm. "Good. I'll _never_ become a spoilt little princess, but you know I can barely keep my own things tidy. I don't stand a chance against a thousand drunk Asgardians." She fixed him with a glare of mock austerity. "And you better not turn out to be one of those husbands who expects his wife to tidy up after him after a long day of charging battlefields and Avenging and slaying beasts or whatever – "

He grinned. "Jane, you have my word."

He studied her face from his angle while they ate, watching the glow from the candles and moons paint her with warmth and silver. When Thor had finally seen her enter the last bend in the aisle, he had almost laughed aloud as he noticed her sneaking glances at the constellations above. She had approached him slowly, in a white gown that made her look like she belonged to somewhere beyond both Asgard and Earth. When she had met his eyes, she had smiled what he knew was likely her first real smile that day. She did not glance at the sky even once after that. His heart swelled.

He was glad Jane had not been told to cover her face with a veil. He would not trade the memory of that smile or that look for the whole realm.

The openness of their ballroom meant no echoes would accumulate, but everyone's voices were a still bright roar, overlying the orchestra and peppered with laughs. Amidst the din, Thor could pick out Frigga and Odin's quieter voices to the high table's right, with Selvig's and Jane's mother's. The fathers and mothers of the groom and bride had their own table, close to Thor and Jane's. That was probably a wise decision – Thor knew Jane got much of her strength from her mother and Erik, but he did not know how well those two would fare in the sea of revelers before them.

Thor sighed contentedly. Jane's warm hand covered the back of his, and squeezed gently. All seemed well.

* * *

"I suppose it's my turn now."

These were the first words Loki had spoken to Thor since the reception had started. He had been seated on Thor's immediate left, wordlessly picking at his plate of food. He feasted more with his eyes on the surrounding festivities, their parents – mainly Frigga – talking at the nearby table, and on the distant skies.

Darcy had just finished her Maid of Honour's speech. Erik's had left a peculiar shine in Jane's eyes, despite his slight nervousness about speaking for such a massive, otherworldly audience. Dvalin had just announced the Best Man's speech to their animated guests. Thor dearly hoped Loki had been sincere in his promise to not humiliate him. He had racked his head for all the endeavors he had shared with Loki that were worthy of a SIlvertongue's memorable speech. Then he had switched to recalling Loki's versions of each memory. His stomach now bubbled in his boots.

"On my own pitiful death, remember, Brother?" Loki smirked at him like he had read Thor's mind. "And I have no plans to die today."

The chamber fell almost quiet as Loki rose from his seat.

"I suppose, firstly, I should thank you all for being here. But it is undoubtedly more valid to thank you for attending the ceremony itself, since the drinks were unavailable to you back then."

A few people snickered, while someone sluggishly toppled off their chair, sparking more laughter. Loki raised his eyes to the ceiling as if to say _Exactly my point_. He continued through a customary list of thanks; Frigga, Odin, Jane's mother, Selvig, Jane's bridesmaids and the palace staff were all mentioned.

"The groom asked me earlier to compliment everyone on how good-looking you all are tonight too, especially him," Loki said. "So… "

"Anyway," Loki continued. Thor realised in his anticipation he was beginning to partially hide his face from the guests with his hand. Jane was hiding a smile. "I wanted to thank him for choosing me as the Best Man for tonight. Particularly as he thinks he's better than me at everything on most other nights." Sif made an odd noise in her throat. But so far, this was not so bad.

"Now, before I begin regaling you with stories about Thor, I just have to tell you that I promised him there would be nothing at all embarrassing in my speech."

More relief seeped into Thor's stomach, untangling it from its nervous knots. "What?" Fandral said loudly in disbelief. Half the audience tittered while the other half made small sounds of disappointment.

"And I now have to apologise to Thor, because," Loki looked down at him. "Well, I'm sorry, Brother, but you should know that I was lying to you when I said that."

Someone in the lower tables cheered, while Hogun murmured to Sif, "For once I'm glad he is a liar."

Thor did not know how Loki succeeded in cramming so many memories so smoothly into the next four minutes. He delivered the anecdotes with relish, seeming unable to help the cursory glances at Thor as if to ask _And do you remember_ that _time?_ It was the closest Thor had ever felt to being struck by his lightning – burnt to cinders, wishing that at least it were not partially due to his own doings. Eventually, he even tried to tune it out. He tried tuning out Loki's retelling of the time Thor lost a wager with him and had to fly undressed through Niflheim ("He was just fortunate I chose the Realm of Fog as the venue for this… Ah, sorry, Mother, I think we forgot to tell you about that – "). And Loki's description of Thor's first journey to Muspelheim, the Realm of Fire – Thor had in fact become intoxicated in Midgard and had flown headfirst into the belly of a volcano ("When he awoke in the Healing Room, I told him and the Allfather we had returned from a scuffle in Muspelheim, to explain his burns. I thought Thor's pride would suffer less that way")

"That was our real first quest in Muspelheim?" Thor stared up at Loki.

"It's rude to interrupt a speech, Brother," Loki hissed back. "And I did tell you I wanted this to be a surprise for you."

Thor tried not to acknowledge too much that Loki's versions of each story were – possibly, only – closer to the truth than his own.

"Hey…" Jane leaned closer to whisper in Thor's ear. Her cheeks were stretched by a massive grin she could not seem to wipe off. "Loki lies most of the time, right?" Her voice was offhand.

"Most certainly." Thor scowled.

"So none of those stories are totally true?" She waited with an expectant smile. Thor must have hesitated a moment too long – her smile grew into a poorly hushed giggle.

"This is worse than the first time Loki 'cut' my hair for our wedding." He muttered to her.

"Nothing could have been worse than that," Jane snickered.

"Do not let him hear that!" Thor shushed her. She laughed again, in time with their guests below.

* * *

 _Loki looked at them. "It wasn't me, I swear it."_

 _Frigga placed a hand on her hip and tilted her head to the side. "How a son of mine causes more trouble than Lyngbakr *, I will never know." There was no trace of a smile on her typically warm face._

 _Thor sat stock still, staring at his roughly bald-headed reflection in his bedchamber mirror. He was currently too horrified to be furious. That would come later, and Loki would have to outrun lightning._

 _Though Thor was far from amused, he supposed he could see_ why _his insane brother might find it a good joke to betray Thor's tenuous trust in him and shear off most of Thor's hair two days before the wedding. Then the bedchamber door swung open, revealing Jane. Any chance of finding amusement in Thor's lack of hair abruptly vapourised._

 _"_ _Um," Jane began. She rounded on Loki with the slowness of a cobra preparing to strike. "_ What – ?"

 _"_ _Don't panic! It's only an illusion!"_

 _At least Loki had some limits, or just could not be bothered evading a lightning storm_ and _Jane's temper. A halo of pallid light shone in his palm and at the ends of Thor's shorn hair, before there was a shimmer and a twist of the air. When that faded, Thor's reflection suddenly looked much the same as it used to. "Ta-da!"_

 _Perhaps it was fortunate Thor had not overcome his initial shock upon seeing his post-haircut reflection. Otherwise, he might not have a Best Man._

 _Odin just shook his head and walked out of the chamber._

* * *

Loki was saying, "I know Jane will make a wonderful princess. It's nice to have one in the family who isn't unrefined, rowdy and only a false princess because she lost Mjolnir to a Frost Giant warlord."

Thor saw Darcy's eyes light up. She whispered to the bridesmaid beside her, "I think I've read about that in a library book somewhere!" and Thor wondered how well the thick cloth serviettes would serve as a gag.

"However… " Loki stepped sideways indiscernibly, away from Thor as if anticipating the thoughts on silencing him. "Though I lied to Thor earlier about the contents of this speech, I will make good on another promise of mine to him. That he will not regret this speech being heard. Despite what he thinks of it thus far."

Loki looked down at Thor. Thor smiled in return and mouthed _I will kill you_. Loki just winked.

"The way I would describe Thor differs greatly from a description given by his other friends." Loki continued. "As his brother, I saw traits no one else had to endure quite so sorely – his stubbornness, his arrogance, his blind foolishness that got us into trouble more times than I can count."

"Five thousand two hundred and eleven times," Loki suddenly muttered under his breath, so furtively Thor was sure he meant only Thor to hear. Everyone else might have thought Loki paused for theatrics' sake.

"But then I was also honoured with virtues that no one in Yggdrasil truly deserves, and that everyone in Yggdrasil really needs."

Loki's voice changed slightly. It was warmer. Randomly, Thor recalled once a cheery nobleman had cooingly asked Loki his favourite time of the day, when his little brother was not yet old enough to properly speak and young enough that everything he did was deemed endearing. Loki had replied in a voice so small and warm Thor had not realised at first that Loki was not talking to him, but to a stranger.

( _"When Tor plays with me,"_ Loki had said)

"Within Thor," Loki said, "there is compassion, and strength, and a light that refuses to stop shining. Anyone whom it falls on is very privileged."

Thor could imagine right then that Loki was not delivering a pre-written speech to a half-drunk audience of a thousand strangers.

"Jane, be prepared to spend your life highly privileged, in ways that your new title of royalty cannot grant."

Jane's expression was as soft as Loki's words. Thor was suddenly glad his own speech was not meant until later. He could not quite seem to find his tongue.

"Yggdrasil is very big place, but I sincerely doubt you could have found anyone better to spend your life with if you explored every galaxy you've ever studied. I know that I never did."

"And," Loki's smile and tone grew lighter "after he met you, Thor has become even better. His humility and new thoughtfulness greet all who meet him."

"On good terms," Loki tacked onto the end.

"He is even… more _refined_ – he showcases our Allfather's fortitude as well as our queen's grace. The next time he loses Mjolnir, he may not even need to wear a veil and high heels again."

Fandral took the opportunity to whistle. Thor reached around Loki's back to absently clip Fandral's ear. But his attention was locked on Loki, especially as Loki said:

"But most of all, he is completely happy."

The curious emotion in Loki's voice was back. Thor thought he could have been sad, but no one could be sad on this occasion. And Loki had said earlier that he was nothing but happy for him.

"Jane, you make my brother happy like no one else can. For that alone, I cannot repay you."

Loki lifted his still-full wineglass. The light winked off of it, reflected in the soft green of his eyes. There was a lump in Thor's throat that he could not seem to swallow past.

"Honoured guests, and Fandral, please raise your glasses with me – " hundreds of chalices were glinting rosily " – to our beloved prince and his Princess Jane."

Thor snuck a glance to their parents' high table. Frigga's eyes were shining like Jane's had after Erik's affectionate words.

Loki sat back down slowly. Everyone else was suddenly returning to the previous merriment with verve. Thor waited for Loki to look at him.

"So… do you mind that speech being heard or not?" Loki asked curiously.

Thor said, "You really were not lying when you said I would not regret it." Loki gave him his barely-there smile, faint and contented.

Thor abruptly slapped a hard hand onto Loki's shoulder. "But you are still a worm for the stories you included earlier." Loki let out his wolf laugh whilst Thor shook him.

"So that was really what happened the first time we went to the Realm of Fire?" Thor returned to the subject. He was still in disbelief that the tale of his valiant first battle against Muspelheim's creatures of flame was merely fabrication.

"Truly," Loki dipped his head. Mirth kindled the green in his eyes at Thor's expression. "Why are you discomfited about that one? It was your first fight with a _volcano_ , and I'm quite sure you still won. Solid volcanic rock is apparently no match for the likes of your head."

"And," Loki added, "while you were drunk, you also tried to wrestle a large shark in the surrounding waters. I think we were somewhere that was frequented by humans because, after you were done, a large ship drifted past and some passengers waved at you. Which would have been fine, but you then got it into your head that you should try board their vessel. I stopped you before you succeeded, which wasn't challenging as you could barely swim straight."

Thor digested this. "Your speech lacked not, Loki, but why leave those details out?"

"I want to save those little particulars for your anniversary celebration."

"…Ah."

Loki shook his head, taking a sip of wine. "Fear not, Thor, I may end up never recounting them. You realise there are bound to be much stupider acts you will commit in the coming years?"

* * *

 *** Lyngbakr is a legendary Midgardian sea monster of Norse mythology (according to Wikipedia)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks again to those readers who Favourited, Followed or just enjoyed this thus far :)**

* * *

The night air was even more charged after the round of speeches. The music's mood and tempo had lifted, and the lower tables had been removed to expose the polished dance floor. People were beginning to translate the reception from articulate words to rhythmic movement.

It had settled into the inevitable niche of merriment that most everyone Thor knew always favoured – the formalities were finished, the drinks were not, and everything had attained a pleasant glow besides that from the chandeliers. It had once been Thor's favourite time of any banquet too, usually leading the carousing himself. He was glad, though, that tonight he chose not to submerse himself completely in the boisterous throng. It might feel more like drowning, when he would be constantly looking for Jane, who preferred to celebrate out of the way.

Their high table was vacant. Jane's bridesmaids, including Darcy and Sif, were occasionally visible as flickers of blue amidst the other dancers and drinkers, and Thor had long lost sight of the Warriors Three. He stood with Jane at the edge of the dance floor.

"Shall we?" Thor offered her his hand.

"Yeah, why not?" She grinned, taking it. "I guess we _have_ to dance together…"

Everyone parted to give them a reverent berth as they whirled lightly around the edges of the chamber. They did not speak much. Thor sometimes wondered what Jane was thinking, dancing their first dance in another world. He sometimes just focused on her small hand enclosed in his.

In his peripheral vision, his father and mother were smiling. Sif was laughing with one of her old sparring partners nearby. Darcy was trying to persuade Erik to dance. Thor thought his heart might stop beating with the joy that filled it. That same happiness would keep it going.

* * *

The next song was distinctly different from the previous. Still upbeat, but now more flowery, like a blithe waltz. Loki watched the shape of the crowd morph from evenly diffused to choppy as the guests split into pairs. Thor and Jane were two linked, radiant forms drifting in the gaps between the other partners. Loki supposed he should find someone. Abandoning the pillar he was leaning on, he made his way across the room.

* * *

Sif saw him moving fluidly towards her, a black and red figure ignoring the music's rhythm as he cut through the spiraling dancers.

"Oh, please," she muttered. She fought the urge to cock her eyebrow at Loki as he neared. Once he was within earshot, Sif considered a cutting rebuttal before he could even suggest a dance.

"Do you really think I would assent – " she began.

Loki stepped around her, continuing to the second high table. She watched him take Frigga's hand, his mother beaming at him. Sif hastily turned away.

He and the queen passed her as they moved onto the dance floor. As they did, Loki glanced at Sif over his shoulder and winked.

"Do you really think I would ask?"

* * *

"Thank you, son."

Frigga's light kiss on his forehead when their dance ended lifted an instinctive smile on Loki's mouth.

"My pleasure."

"Go enjoy the rest of the reception," she said. "But not too much." She added a nod to a small forest of partially filled goblets waiting on a nearby table.

"How well you know me, Mother."

Frigga never seemed to mind his sarcasm. She only shook her head good-humouredly before departing.

Aside from his dance with Frigga and having to deliver the Best Man's speech, the gathering was disappointingly similar to most every other banquet Loki had attended before. It was too much to expect Frigga to spend much more of the evening with him, with the number of invitees that would besiege her with their thanks and blessings. Nearly everyone else was so occupied with the food, drink or each other they may as well not be there to him. Though Thor was for once not one of them tonight, he was, understandably, with Jane.

Loki caught more glimpses of Thor and Jane still revolving gently together on the dance floor. They were almost detached from their own reception, Yggdrasil's last two planets surrounded only by tiny stars. Loki found himself a nice pillar to stand by and view the real stars outside; it was better than attempting to mingle (perhaps Jane could have told him there was also a social reason for choosing to study the sky).

He waited for the presence behind him to announce itself. Finally, a young woman's voice spoke near his shoulder, blasé and unfamiliar. "Not a fan of marriage or not a fan of socialising?"

Loki turned. One of Jane's bridesmaids in cerulean blue satin was leaning against the pillar, facing the dance floor. She looked sideways at him for a response, the corners of her lips twitching upward slightly.

"Both are fine in moderation, but Asgard always tends towards excessiveness." He shrugged. "Tonight it's the socialising." She smiled wider, lifting her shoulder furthest from him off the pillar to turn to him more directly, still leaning on the column. Her chestnut-coloured curls swayed enthusiastically as she did so.

"It's pretty hardcore in there." The woman said. "Normally, I can hold my own at parties but you people are nuts. In a good way." She flashed him another quick smile. "But seriously, it's so great to find someone else here who isn't blind drunk."

"I'm Leila, by the way," she said. "I'm one of Jane's closer associates. From Earth. Hence why my English might sound a little rougher around the edges than most people here." The skin over Leila's cheekbones was dusted with a pearly powder that glimmered under the chandelier lighting.

"My name is Loki." He tilted his head at her politely, and Leila lifted herself off the pillar, swinging around to face him completely.

"Yeah, I've heard. The speech you gave for your brother earlier was great to listen to." She grinned, leaning closer as though to be heard clearly over the reception's clamour. When she did, she ducked her head somewhat – unnecessarily, as he was a head taller than her – so she was peering up at him. "You were definitely the highlight of the night."

 _This reception is suddenly very different from other feasts I've attended_

Loki smiled rather noncommittally. "Thank you. I'm grateful for his constant supply of idiocy for that reason only." Leila laughed and chastised him flippantly with a nudge of her elbow. She seemed secretly proud to have reached this far into a conversation with him. He sensed it was largely due to his obvious desire to not associate with the larger crowd.

 _Did she and I not recently_ _establish that I don't want to socialise at all?_

"Jane told me a bit about you," she smiled. Slightly mischievously, like Jane had described to her a reputation that suited Fandral much more so than Loki.

"Hm," he said. "Any compliments between the tirades?" He doubted anything Jane had told her was cause for Leila to be standing so close to him he could smell the perfume clinging to her hair, like sugar and flowers.

"Well, I think she left out how good looks run in Thor's family."

 _Oh, of course Thor and I have_ anything _in common in our heredities_

Without waiting for his reaction, she asked casually, "Wanna dance? We could just stick to the outside of the dance floor." Her expression was understanding, but unconcerned: he was someone who shunned mingling, therefore her company must clearly be preferable to the crowds'. He would gladly accept her offer to dance, which would not surprise her.

"I think I'll remain here for now," Loki kept his tone mannerly, but also sounding as unconcerned as she had.

Her eyelashes, coated with black makeup, twitched stiffly as she blinked at him. She pouted impishly. "But you've danced only once this entire night, and that was with your mum."

 _Is there something wrong with dancing with my mother?_

"Because I don't otherwise enjoy dancing."

"This must be a nightmare for you then." She gestured with her chin to the celebrating Asgardians as though she had not invited him to dance moments earlier. "So wanna do something else instead?" Her roguish smile returned.

 _Must I always be the only one who recognises implicit messages? Leila, leave me alone_

* * *

It was their fifth dance, but neither of them felt the need to stop. Jane's gaze flickered intermittently to absorb the glittering velvet sky outside, but in idle admiration, not her typical systematic scrutiny. Thor's attention altered comfortably between watching the rest of the world and watching her.

Then Jane's head suddenly straightened as she blinked and asked, "Thor, is that Loki over there with Leila?"

At the edge of the ballroom, he saw Loki standing before one of Jane's bridesmaids, who was dressed in deep blue. Thor had only spoken to Leila a few times previously, not enough to truly glean her character. The pair had settled close enough to each other that her forehead could have brushed his chin. Thor watched them with amusement.

"It is indeed. And I had earlier thought Loki would never consider romance."

Jane grinned. "Leila can be a little… brazen. I never thought Loki would've considered approaching her."

"Well, Loki has managed audacious people his entire life," Thor chuckled.

"Would that happen to include his older brother?"

"It is probable I have grazed his nerves more often than once." He conceded. "But one would not have gaged _you_ as someone who would take to me, yet here we are." The edge of Jane's lips pulled upwards as her gaze dreamily slipped to somewhere far away, or to some time ago.

Thor said lightly, "Just be thankful that Loki does not appear to be handling her the way he might have tried to deal with me."

"What, no magic, no violence, no profanity, no tantrums?"

"Exactly."

Thor watched Frigga bypassed Loki and his new companion. Loki shot a pained glance after their mother while it seemed Leila was gesturing towards the ballroom's entrance. Then Loki's eyes flickered around the room and met Thor's for a brief moment, bothered.

Thor's smirk subsided. "Actually, Jane, I don't think Loki is very pleased with Leila's attentions."

Thor motioned to Erik holding an empty wineglass nearby. Jane wordlessly allowed him to steer them to her Midgardian friend. She parted from Thor and squeezed Erik's free hand.

"Have this dance with me, Erik?"

While the two waltzed back onto the floor, Thor headed across the ballroom.

* * *

"Well, you're no fun," Leila teased. "You really happy to just stand here bored all night while everyone else is having a good time?"

"It seems a sound idea."

It had been a while since Loki had wished he could just be left alone. It seemed he had to discover someone more thickheaded than Thor to do so. Speaking of whom –

"Loki!"

Thor stood behind Leila, who turned on her heel to stare at Thor. Thor grinned broadly.

"Forgive my intrusion, Leila, but I would ask my little brother for this dance," Thor said to her. She broke her ogling with a blink and a nod.

"Oh, sure, as the groom wishes." Loki watched her beam warmly over her discontent.

Loki looked at Thor in askance, and Thor just tilted his head in return. Curious, Loki scanned the dance floor; Jane was turning rhythmic circles with Selvig. Thor held out his hand, waiting.

Loki sighed. He hid his amusement. "Very well. You'll have to excuse me, Leila."

He added to Thor, "But no holding me any lower than the waist like last time."

Thor was not so capable at holding in a guffaw. Leila made an odd squeak.

Then her eyes widened. "Hey, I thought you said before you didn't like dancing…"

"I did say that."

She commented to his turned back, a mixture of stern and – bizarrely – still playful. "Oh, you're a liar."

Loki looked back at her, eyebrows delicately drawn together in puzzlement. "Erm, yes. I thought you said before Jane had told you a bit about me…?"

* * *

They treaded another elaborate circle across the echoing floor. They were the only pair that was not tailed by the swirling of a long dress.

"You are an abysmal dancer," Loki remarked.

Thor scoffed. "I spend my time training for _wars_ and leading a kingdom in place of dancing."

"You have had copious amounts of peaceful time in the past months preceding tonight to learn a few simple steps."

"You still cannot expect me to equal your _expertise_ in mere months – "

"I begun learning a fortnight ago, Brother."

Thor wheeled Loki around to thump him into Volstagg passing by. Loki glared at him, miffed.

"How is my form so in need of work?" Thor asked.

"Well, first of all, there are these little acts of family violence… "

"In all seriousness, Brother."

"You don't keep the measured distance between your feet – "

Thor's eyebrows shot up. "How the Hel am I supposed to measure the distance between my feet every step?"

" – and you spin your partner too violently, not only on that occasion. Your wife will be knocked insensible some day. Be glad your guests give you two a wide berth to reduce the casualties."

"I'll knock _you_ insensible – "

"But thank you for the invitation to dance, Brother," Loki talked over him as they whirled. "This is still preferable to all else I've done today."

The strange ache was back in Thor's chest. He spun Loki again, slowly.

"You're always welcome, Loki."

* * *

 **On a side note, does anyone else find they sometimes speak a bit more... Asgardian, lately?**


	5. Chapter 5

Jane could only presume it was for aesthetic reasons, not practicality, that Dvalin and Borghild had placed the tower of glass goblets in the ballroom. She had developed a compulsion for eyeballing it every time someone passed it with a liquored sway in their step. Not that the palace would suffer any financial difficulty if they lost one pile of nice glassware.

Thor was back with her after his spontaneous dance with Loki. As the celebrations continued around them with no sign of slowing, Thor told her about past Asgardian festivals he remembered. It reminded her of the nights spent on rooftops with nothing but a telescope and her notebook; a commentary unfolding as the otherworldly events transpired before her.

" – and they could devour a whole storechamber of food within the first hour of feasting. That may sound paltry, but most of the storechambers are greater than the banquet halls themselves."

"Yeah, I _was_ going to comment how unimpressive a feat that sounded…" Jane craned her head back to absorb the sheer height of the ballroom ceiling.

"Volstagg and Thor were always responsible for one half of those storechambers while the rest of the palace ate the other." Loki added from behind Jane. His voice became a little reproachful. "Thor, you tell her all this as if you never caused the most mess of all."

Thor laughed. "It seems so long ago, Brother, I doubt I would do so again."

"And _mess_ sounds more like your specialty – " Jane began to say to Loki over her shoulder.

"Thor caused the most mess and the second-most chaos, then, if you care to realise the difference," Loki interjected. "But I'm not here to argue about that – "

"You started it," Thor said.

" – I am just a messenger. Dvalin suggests you two, Darcy and I begin thanking the guests for their attendance before too many are too inebriated to remember what this reception is for. He said to mention to the visitors from other realms that it would be delightful to accommodate them again in future. Including your other bridesmaids from Earth, Jane, so I'm glad I lie well."

"Things didn't turn out so nicely with Leila?" Jane joked. Loki looked at her like she had earnestly proposed he perform a striptease dance in the middle of the room.

"Not particularly. I had a much nicer time dancing with your husband," Loki replied evenly. "Apart from that and dancing with Mother, however, I still must admit eluding more interaction with Leila was the more interesting part of tonight, if not the most pleasant."

"No offence," he added after a second's thought.

"None taken," she said, wryly. "Despite all the paperwork I endured the past few months, I didn't actually plan half this thing myself."

"What alterations would you introduce?" Thor wondered.

"Oh, well, there was nothing _wrong_ with this reception," she said, quickly. "I doubt anything I might have planned would have gone so smoothly, or been up to the standards of nobles from at least six other worlds – "

"Jane, I too take no offence if the palace protocols are not precisely to your tastes," Thor broke in reassuringly, grinning. "How can they be, when you were raised somewhere so different? I only wondered."

Jane felt her shoulders relax. She did not even know they had been somewhat tensed before hearing that.

"Well, I guess you Asgardians aren't physically or mentally in need of any AA interventions like a human might be – "

"What is – ?"

"Er, Alcoholics Anonymous, it's sort of a human organisation for people who need help to quit drinking alcohol. Never mind. So, since I've never really experienced many celebrations like this, the best improvement I can come up with right now is just getting that giant tower of wineglasses out of here before someone knocks it over." She nodded towards it.

"My people can restrain themselves after quaffing a half dozen casks of our strongest spirits." Thor grinned. "If it falls, someone has made deliberate sport of it."

Loki smiled.

* * *

Thor wondered if Loki was cloaking himself in magic against all but Thor, or if the guests were so absorbed in their merriment that Loki was inartificially invisible.

A wisp of green light darted from Loki's fingertips. Thor would have missed it if he had not been watching his brother with a vague wariness. In the periphery of Thor's vision, the stack of goblets began swaying gently…

"For Hel's sake, Loki… "

After thanking a councilwoman from Nornheim for her attendance, Jane glanced at Thor questioningly.

When the crash hit everyone else's ears, Thor assumed they thought several chandeliers had fallen; hundreds of heads whipped up to inspect the high ceiling. The chandeliers glittered serenely above their heads, still revolving slowly like a dozen fragile suns.

The mountain of wineglasses no longer stood. Thor nearly could not summon the effort to be aggravated.

He muttered curses under his breath after excusing himself from Jane. As if Loki could hear him from across the chamber, Loki met Thor's glower with more fearless glee than Thor felt he warranted. Thor began weaving his way through the crowd towards him.

Loki was twirling something long and silvery between his slender fingers. He gave Thor another unashamed smile before tinking the fork against the nearest person's goblet, ignoring the bewilderment puckering the red-haired woman's forehead.

Similar confusion was creasing Thor's own brow. The guests were suddenly turning to beam at him, similarly tapping their glasses to create a storm of fine clinking.

Thor automatically turned to search for Jane, surprised to see her already walking towards him with an abashed smile. Thor had forgotten until then the glass-tapping was a signal for a kiss between the bride and groom. Another custom from somewhere in Midgard that Borghild and Dvalin regarded fitting for the occasion.

Thor's smile remained after they were done, temporarily forgetting why he had left Jane in the first place. Then he remembered Loki's mess of shattered crystal littering the floor.

Thor murmured to Jane, "Excuse me again, as I must strangulate my brother."

She let her head fall to one side comically. "I swear you're starting to spend more of our wedding reception with him than with me."

Thor scoffed. "Believe me, Jane, that is not my intention."

He huffed resignedly as he turned away again, spying Loki deftly manoeuvring himself away from Thor. Thor rolled his eyes.

" _Loki._ "

He raised his voice above the guests, aiming his sternness at Loki like firing an arrow. Without turning at the sound of his name, Loki reached out to begin clinking his fork against another wineglass. It was clutched by a square-jawed young man, who froze with the chalice of burgundy liquid halfway to his lips as he stared at Loki in perplexity.

The squall of crystalline tinkling rose again. The guests beamed as Thor headed back to Jane, and as their lips re-met.

"Still need to catch your brother?" Jane asked, smiling drily.

"I am not intensely adverse to this new method of his, but he had better not suppose he can make us kiss every time I must admonish him." Thor grumbled.

He glanced over his shoulder; Loki smiled winningly at them from across the room. Jane just laughed. "Off you go. If you still can't reach him, I'll send Darcy and Erik since _they're_ not supposed to kiss me when the glasses are tapped."

Thor pressed the back of her hand to his lips before he left.

He barely made it five feet in Loki's direction before his brother started pattering the fork against another goblet – Sif glared at Loki as he interrupted her drink. The unsuspecting guests followed suit, and Thor almost grumbled audibly as he returned to Jane.

"Perhaps I shall let him escape reproach on this occasion only." Thor muttered to her.

"Only? Are you getting sick of kissing me already?"

Jane softened her feigned outrage by adjusting Thor's stiff collar. He grinned. Over his shoulder, he saw Loki smiling expectantly. Thor just glowered at him.

* * *

Loki waited as Thor stalked over to him. Blatantly, between his hands he played with the wineglass he filched from the top of the stack before he had tipped it over. He let Thor clasp the back of his neck and haul him behind one of the shimmering draperies by their high table.

"Must you cause a mess _every_ night, Brother?" Thor shook Loki with one hand as he spoke. "You are fortunate no one was injured by that."

"Then _I_ am lucky every time one of you oafs smashes a tankard and yells for another?" It was more difficult to widen his eyes innocently when being manhandled by the neck.

"I refer to the mortals present tonight – "

"Do you really think my magic and I would let some glass shards hurt anyone and ruin your big evening?"

Thor was growing weary of Loki's rhetorical questions. Loki grinned and added quickly, "It was just for a bit of fun, Thor. You have lived with me for one thousand years, and yet decided to have a precarious tower of fragile glass in the same chamber. It's practically your own fault."

"Loki."

"Your bad choice, Thor."

"The placement of the goblets or granting you a wedding invitation?"

"Probably a bit of both, come to think of it."

"Borghild arranged to have them located there – "

"Bad choice of wedding planners too, then."

"Just give me that." Thor seized the goblet from Loki's hands.

He glared at him. Nonetheless, nothing would truly spoil the feeling that intensely gold sunlight was pouring through him like it had since that morning. Loki probably knew that. He just grinned until Thor almost did too.

"Do not push your luck, Brother." Thor tried to say it firmly before striding back to Jane.


	6. Chapter 6

**It's been far too long since I've done something on this website more than update my profile.**

 **I'd written a big thank you on my profile to the people who had been reading, Favouriting, Following and commenting on my fics while I've been away, plus a promise that none of my incomplete stories have been abandoned because I really don't want to leave any stories incomplete (I needed a different way to try communicate with you people, since the other communication method is in these bold Author's Notes that I can obviously only post when I update a story...)**

 **Also, hoping to get Chapter 6 of _What If?_ up soon.**

 **Anyway, read the weird non-bolded stuff below.**

 **xo**

* * *

It was so late. Or rather, very early.

Thor observed the traces of sunrise that were starting to announce themselves outside. The pale yellow and royal blue warmed the horizon like faint plumes of fire.

As long as there was at least one guest still in attendance, Thor, Jane and their bridal parties were to continue gracing the reception. He and Jane had already thanked everyone of political importance for attending, while circulating the room amid the others. The early morning hours seem to have filtered out those purely by their standards as socialites, dissolving any vertical hierarchies. A few visitors were still swaying in time to the lingering orchestral melodies. Some haunted the edges of the chamber in small groups, keeping up the hum of conversation. Their eyes were still as bright as the red and amber liquids residing in their goblets.

"Not to be an ungracious hostess or anything, but when I'm still awake this early in the morning, it's normally because I'm trying to comprehend a section of unusual data or something," Jane discreetly rubbed the corners of her eyes, trying to inject some alertness back into herself. They watched several waitrons glide around wordlessly, clearing away emptied wineglasses and sticky puddles of spilled mead.

"Yeah, Jane, good thing you chose a husband who satisfies your obsession with the galaxies without taking away the fun," Darcy was trying to get Erik to sit in one of the high table's chairs. The man let her pry the half-empty goblet from his hand, his smile slightly bleary. "You still need to get a life outside of work."

"Darcy, you do almost no astrophysical research or analysis, so I've had you to distract me – "

"I also told you it would've been a good idea to bring our own coffee for the stay," Darcy interrupted brightly.

Thor left them to their bantering as Loki approached. Like Thor, he did not appear particularly weary – centuries of arduous journeys, stakeouts and other feasts rendered the reception child's play. Unlike Thor, he looked increasingly bored. A few seconds after joining him, Loki raised and dropped his shoulders in a thick sigh aimed at apparently nothing in particular.

Thor laughed. "Having fun, Brother?"

"If the next thing I destroy is aimed _at_ the guests this time, do you think they'll leave sooner or might they think it part of a party game and stay longer?"

Thor watched Loki regard the statuettes and chairs around the floor, and then the turning chandeliers overhead. He hoped ignoring the suggestion would imperceptibly deflect it. "You've enjoyed similar long-lasting events in the past, Loki."

"No, _you've_ enjoyed similar long-lasting events. I nearly always left early, and only returned when Frigga asked me to somehow defuse your drunken presence."

"Defuse? Everyone would agree _you_ were more of a menace, even in your sober state."

"Clearly not Frigga."

"Mother's not always right."

"And yet you're probably not willing to tell her that if I fetched her now, right?"

"Not now, Loki, she's preoccupied." Thor rolled his eyes. "Besides, I've been meaning to speak with my little brother a little more since before the ceremony." He hoped his subject-change was subtle enough.

"I swear to you, I played no part in any other acts of bedlam you might have witnessed tonight."

"I meant that not in accusation," Thor said. He frowned. "However, if you _have_ elicited more – "

"I have not." Loki affirmed. He smiled sweetly, insincere enough that Thor thought it wisest to ignore it. "Honestly."

Then Loki added curiously, "But we spoke many times today. Just before your vows, after my speech and as we danced earlier."

"True, but while we danced, most of our exchange was your grating criticism – " Thor was already losing track of what he originally intended to say to his brother.

"Because I wish not to let you preserve the notion that abusing your dance partner is acceptable – "

"Loki, shut up for a moment and let me find my initial trains of thought – "

"Trains?" Loki looked puzzled. "Plural?"

Thor felt the clinging itch of his wedding garments more than ever as he wrung Loki into a headlock. The temporary absence of Loki's voice compensated well enough.

"Thor, you just said you wanted to speak with me," Loki's voice was muffled against Thor's side. "And I spoke."

Thor accidentally caught Odin and Frigga's eyes across the chamber as they faced the stocky Dwarven princess. Frigga's expression demanded _Explain, Son_ as Odin smoothly piloted her role in the conversation. Thor smiled, trying to gesture at them with his free hand that Loki would only be permanently harmed if he escalated the situation. After a second of staring, Frigga returned her attention to the princess.

Thor said to him, "I meant without so much antagonism – "

"Well then, the job you are doing of that _now_ is absolutely commendable." They heard one of Jane's bridesmaids giggling somewhere nearby.

"You know, Loki, because of your verbal nonsense, I cannot even remember what I intended to ask you now – "

"You do have me in a headlock at the moment, so perhaps because your brain is trying to execute two things at once."

"No, I have found from past experiences that incapacitating you _helps_ – "

"This is getting better by the second." Loki shifted his feet as he tried unsuccessfully to peer up at him. "I can't wait until you're king. _Good evening, Queen of Alfheim, would you prefer a head-butt or a hip throw as we discuss our people's exchange of goods across the borders_ – "

"Ah, I remember now," Thor interrupted. "But you hardly make it worth the effort to simply ask you what you thought of the night's festivities."

He let his brother straighten up.

"That's all you wanted to ask and you place me in a headlock?" Loki adjusted his collar, eyeing him warily. "So what did you do to propose to Jane? Never mind, I don't want to know. My opinion of this celebration. Hm. It's similar to the bygone festivals you and I have endured – "

"So a negative experience – "

" – but I am truly pleased about your marriage." Loki finished. "Albeit a little concerned for Jane if she ever disturbs your _train of thought_."

Thor snorted. "Speaking of which, if I may tell you something else before you interject with more folly…" He cleared his throat, which he regretted instantly – he was not as adverse to open sentimentality as Loki was, but the action induced a sudden lull in their shared lightheartedness so forcefully. For some reason, he found this vaguely embarrassing. His little brother waited quietly, and Thor could see Loki in his periphery staring at him curiously.

"Weddings make you so strangely soppy," Loki commented after some moments of relative silence.

Thor shrugged. "Perhaps. But what you call sentimentality is often only illustration of true feelings."

"Maybe you need to stop being so illustrative. It's uncomfortable."

"Hear me this last time, and then I shall stop if that will gladden you," Thor muttered.

Loki fell quiet again patiently. One of the high table's chairs waited behind him, so Loki swung it around and curled his legs beneath him to sit cross-legged, facing Thor. He smiled up at his older brother strangely. "You know I'm not the most demonstrative person to have around, Thor, but I've never wished you did not love me. Now, go on."

It was irritating that Loki's sudden attentiveness made Thor feel slightly ridiculous for asking for it. But Thor began, "I had meant to tell you earlier, before your procession during the ceremony…" He stalled.

Loki just scrutinized him, uncomplainingly, which annoyed Thor further beneath his awkwardness. Just like Loki to give him exactly what he needed, only when Thor needed it.

"No matter how much I love Jane, you are still irreplaceable to me."

Maybe he imagined it, but Loki's eyes appeared to darken, as if Thor had just accused him of a shameful phobia. But they also softened.

"I mean," Thor tried to elaborate. "As happy as she makes me, I'll still always need you around to do that, too. I would still be unhappy without you."

The edges of Loki's mouth lifted again faintly. "Thank you, Thor…" He sounded reserved. Thor felt a twinge of guilt when Loki asked, "Did Jane prompt you at all to tell me this?"

"Not at all, Brother. What makes you suspect so?" Thor felt his eyebrows pull together as he said, "I thought you knew I was the sentimental one."

* * *

 _"_ _Loki."_

 _She still said his name with a slight edge. Depending on the situation, that edge ranged from exasperated to angry, and sometimes plain weary. It was peculiarly affectionate now._

 _He sensed Jane had been standing a few feet behind him for a while, waiting for him to acknowledge her. It had always amused him that she tried never to let any intimidation show – she would have invaded his personal space by now, ordinarily. The waiting must be some form of emotional charity, allowing him space, for whatever reason._

 _"_ _I've been meaning to talk to you since your Best Man speech," she said when he turned to face her. Her cheeks were flushed from makeup and dancing. Over her shoulder, Thor was visible across the chamber guffawing with Hogun and Volstagg._

 _Loki's attention refocused on her as he said, "If you found any of it offensive… I'd advise you to get over it. You'll need to tolerate that degree of folly in future."_

 _Her lip twitched. "You'd know better than I do, so I guess I should take that advice. But no, actually, I just wanted to say thank you."_

 _She said the last sentence with fervour. Loki listened to her stumble through the rest of her mental script. "It meant… a lot… to me, what you said in your speech. Especially coming from you. It's clear how much Thor means to you, but I don't know if you realise how much you still mean to him. Or maybe you do. Like I said, I don't know. Anyway, you said that you couldn't repay me for making him as happy as I can, but I don't think anyone can repay_ you _for getting him this far, either. Whatever strength or support I give him, you've been doing it for him ten-fold for the past however many years you've been brothers. Thank you, Loki." That vehemence returned to her voice by the end of her speech._

 _Loki just smiled. "It's what I'm here for."_

* * *

Loki's expression lightened as he laughed. "Because your wife had a similar discussion with me earlier. You both seem to think I'm excessively fragile today. I am not." He grinned. "I already know you need me, Thor."

Briefly, Thor wrapped his arms around Loki's lithe frame, awkwardly as Loki still sat upon the chair. He pressed his cheek on top of Loki's rumpled hair. Felt Loki hug him back tightly.

"I'll still always need you around too." Thor confirmed, before letting his brother go.

It was easier to phrase it rather like a request. Loki would be around if Thor needed him to.

Loki smiled again. It was always Thor he looked at with that much trust. The strange ache was back in Thor's chest.

"I know." Loki echoed simply.

There were a few more seconds of comfortable quietness.

"Good," Thor said gently.

"Thor? The last group of guests are about to leave, and your father said we, Darcy and Loki should say goodbye to them." Thor turned to see Jane standing a few feet behind him. She looked like she teetered on her heels, uncertain if she could step any closer to the fleeting spectacle of affection.

"The last guests are leaving?" Loki straightened to look at her. Thor jerked with surprise as his brother shoved himself off the chair. "Finally!"

At least they were still across the chamber from the waiting visitors, and the echoes of the servants' footsteps partially covered the exclamation. Thor sighed. "With my headlocks and your disrespect, I fear the future relationships between Asgard and the other realms will experience some hindrances…"

"You'll have great responsibility riding on your capable shoulders, Jane." Loki said as he passed her, leading the way.

"And you don't even have coffee in this realm…" was all she muttered back, turning to trail after his energetic stride. Thor observed the two of them for an instant before he followed. He felt a warm glow in his chest as he realised how privileged he truly was.

* * *

It was dusk again. The waves of moonlight turned the city kaleidoscopic once more, twinkling gently for leagues in every direction. The inside of the massive ballroom used for their reception had been reverted back to its usual state – grand enough for a royal citadel, but without the effervescence of the previous night.

Thor felt he could study Jane studying the stars for eons. They leaned against the stone balcony railing, which was cooled by the evening breeze. Every so often, he could see her lips quiver as she recited to herself silently the names of the Midgardian constellations that would overlay the Asgardian ones.

According to Dvalin and Borghild, the two of them were scheduled to meet somewhere to travel somehow to someplace for whatever came next after the reception. Thor was not completely certain of the plan.

"Thor, where did Borghild and Dvalin say we're supposed to meet them to set off for the honeymoon?" Jane suddenly broke away from the heavens to echo his thoughts.

Thor waited a second to see if she would answer her own question, perhaps recalling something the wedding planners had told her earlier. There always seemed at least five others who were aware of the official plans, so Thor had not seen the need to be particularly mindful of them when told. Jane lifted an eyebrow at him.

"Er…"

Jane rolled her eyes. "A fine authority figure you'll make, Thor." Then she grinned. "But I don't see how another destination will be much prettier than here anyway."

At that, Thor pointed to a hazy but distinct, dappled feather of silver light against the inky sky, below and to the left of the largest moon. The pale silhouette was as familiar as one of their childhood storybooks read by Frigga.

Jane stared along the imaginary straight line from his fingertip all the way to the point in the sky he was motioning to. "What?" she whispered beside him. But from the sudden hush of her voice, she already knew it was something exceptional, already appreciating something Thor had vaguely indicated was special.

"That there is said to be a string of floating islands along the border between Vanaheim and Asgard. They are said to be the remains of a tenth realm, rivaling Valhalla in their utopic nature that it was shattered by unknown celestial beings that loathe all things beautiful. If got the chance to visit them, I might even admit they are lovelier than Asgard." Thor smiled as Jane stared with renewed wonder.

"I am sure my brother or Sif will fetch us when the time comes," he added calmly.

"So what's the plan?" Loki ghosted onto the balcony from behind them, making Jane jump. "Where shall you two meet your chaperons to the honeymoon location?" He faced them expectantly. Thor blinked.

"Perhaps I should go ask Sif." He pushed himself off the railing, grasping Mjolnir's handle as he straightened up.

"She and the Warriors Three were heading towards Odin's largest meeting chamber, the last time I checked." Loki told him.

"Thank you again, Loki." Thor brushed Jane's hand lightly before leaving.

When Thor reached the doorway, he glanced over his shoulder at Loki and Jane. Jane had returned to examining the faded silvery dash above the horizon, probably contemplating what astronomic movements the islands went through each year. Loki was perched on the railing, legs swinging slowly and with his back to the glittering city and skies. He had been watching Thor go. He flicked an eyebrow up as Thor re-met his gaze.

"Need anything else, Brother?" His legs still swung metrically.

Thor paused. Then he laughed and shook his head as he realised. Loki just maintained his expression, also tilting his head in askance, while Jane turned around to look at him too.

"What, Thor?"

"No," There was that feeling again, as if brilliant golden light radiated from Thor as the fact stood that he had wedded Jane, and now there were the rest of their lives at their feet to unfurl. "No, I really need nothing else."

Jane pursed her lips, looking a little baffled as she glanced between them. Maybe she decided the brothers shared an inside joke, because she tactfully returned to starwatching without another word. Loki smiled as Thor left. Thor knew he understood.

 _I no longer need anything else._

He snuck another glance over his shoulder. Jane still stargazing. Loki still leg-swinging.

 _They make me too happy._

Thor recalled Loki's speech.

As he walked, he murmured to himself, "I cannot repay them."

* * *

 **Fin.**

 **Thanks for getting this far with this story too! Sorry it took me so long to chug out the rest of it. I hope you felt happily warm inside. If you could leave a review to let me know what you think of this ending, or the whole thing, or both, that would be fantastic :) Though, as I said earlier, reviewing is optional, enjoyment also optional but more important.**

 **P.S. I hope you are all well.**


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